Britney_Smith_u04a1_Codes of Ethics and Synopsis of State Laws.docx

Running head: LICENSURE AND CODE OF ETHICS 1
Hawaii Licensure and Code of Ethics
Britney Smith
Professional Ethics in Marriage and Family Therapy
Codes of Ethics and Synopsis of State Laws
Capella University
November 2021

LICENSURE AND CODE OF ETHICS 2
Licensure in Hawaii
To obtain a Marriage and Family therapist license in Hawaii, there are certain
requirements that need to be met. With turning in an application there needs to be prior
education, post-master’s experience, and practicum completed first. For education, an official
transcript from an accredited school in Marriage and family therapy or allied practice (Marriage
and Family Therapist Program, n.d.). In the training outline, specific credits are needed in
marriage and family studies, marriage and family therapy, ethical and professional studies,
research, and human development. Within the master’s degree program, a one-year practicum
with a minimum of 300 supervised client contact hours need to be completed (Marriage and
Family Therapist Program, n.d.). After completing the master’s program, 1,000 direct marriage
and family therapy experience hours and 200 hours of clinical supervision is required in at least
24 months (Marriage and Family Therapist Program, n.d.). The last step before applying for
licensure is to pass the National Marital and Family Therapy (NMFT) Exam. Once all these
things are done an application can be submitted with the necessary documents and wait for
approval. An issue with obtaining licensure is applications get abandoned due to not having all
the necessary documents or not passing the exam. Other challenges that can occur is not meeting
or maintaining the conditions to qualify for license, being addicted to drugs, or engaging in
fraudulent activity regarding advertising or false statements (Marriage and Family Therapist
Program, n.d.). Those are just a few things that can prevent licensure from being obtained or
renewed.
Confidentiality
In Hawaii there are limits when it comes to confidentiality, there are 6 circumstances that a
MFT therapist can disclose information. The first is when required by law and then if to prevent

LICENSURE AND CODE OF ETHICS 3
danger to one or more parties (Marriage and Family Therapist Program, n.d.). The other
circumstances relate to civil, criminal, and disciplinary actions. The therapist can disclose
information if the therapist is a defendant or if the client is a defendant in a criminal case and the
privilege would be presented as a testimony or witness on the client’s behalf (Marriage and
Family Therapist Program, n.d.). Another exception would be when given a written waiver of
permission previously by the client. Lastly is in the case where there are multiple family
members who received therapy together then the therapist can disclose information when given
written waivers (Marriage and Family Therapist Program, n.d.). These limits are more detailed
however the AAMFT Code of Ethics have its own standards when it comes to confidentiality.